Lock-hinge.



No. 683,706. Patented Oct. I, I90l.

' H. BITTER & J. H. ROWLAND.

LOCK HINGE.

(Application filed Jan. 2, 1901. (No Model.) I

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UNITED ATENT FFECEQ LOCK-HENGE.

E3 EGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,706, dated October 1, 1901.

Application filed January 2, 1901. Serial No. 41,858. (No model.)

To all whom, it 777/601] concern:

Be it known that we, HERMANN BITTER and JESSE H. ROWLAND, citizens of the United States, residing at Dennison, in the county of Tuscarawas and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Lock-Hinges, of which the followingis a specification.

Our invention relates to the improvement of lock-hinges for fire-doors for locomotive or other boilers; and the objects of our invention are to provide, in connection with the fire-door, an improved lock-hinge of superior construction, said hinge being so arranged and constructed as to insure the holding of the door in an open position when desired, to so construct our improved hinge as to admit of its being produced in an inexpensive and simple manner, and at the same time to so construct the same as to render it durable and avoid the tendency of the same toward getting out of order. These objects we accomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a front elevation of a fire-box door-frame and door having our improved lock-hinge connected therewith. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional View on line A A of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a latch-keeper, which we employ in the manner hereinafter described. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 6 is a face view of the same. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the latch-bar catching and holding device. Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the same, and Fig. 9 is a plan view of the same.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

1 represents an ordinary fire-box doorframe, from the rear end extension of which project the usual hinge-lugs 2. Connecting the upper and lower hinge-lugs 2 is a catchcasting 3, which, as indicated more clearly in Fig. 9 of the drawings, is of a substantially yoke shape in cross-section. In its outwardlybowed face this catch is provided with a vertical slotted opening or recess 4, from which leads laterally from a point below the upper end of said vertical slot a recess or mouth 5, the upper side of said mouth being inclined upward, as indicated, and toward the inner edge of the casting. 6 represents the firedoor, which may be of any desired outline and adapted to cover the opening of the doorframe 1. This fire-door has its rear portion provided, in the usual manner, with upper and lower rearwardly-extending hinge-lugs 7, the latter being hinged or otherwise jointedly connected at 8 with the door-frame hinge-lugs 2 or ends of the casting 3, if desired. On the forward face and rear portion of the door 6 we provide an outwardly-projecting keeper 9, through the vertical slotted guide-opening of which loosely extends the rear portion of the door latch-bar 10, said latch-bar being pivoted at 11 to the face of the door 6. The forward and heavier end portionof the latchbar is adapted to have its under side engage a fixed catch-bracket 12, which projects from the frame 1, and the upper side of the forward end of the latch-bar is preferably in the nature of an upwardly-projecting loop, as indicated at 13, said loop adapted to have engaged therewith an operating-chain. (Not herein shown.)

As indicated in the drawings, the latch-bar 10 when in its latched or horizontal position has its rear end portion beyond the keeper 9 extending within the upper portion of the recess or mouth 5 and its upper side in contact with or adjacent to the inclined upper edge of said recess-mouth. It is obvious, however, that when the fire-door 6 is open and caused to swing outward the upper side of the rear end portion of the latch-bar will be forced to travel down the inclined edge of the recess mouth 5 during said outwardswinging movement of the door, and when the latter has reached its full outward movement it will be seen that the rear end of the latch-bar will through the greater weight of the forward end portion thereof move upward into engagement with the vertical portion 4 of the slotted opening in the catch-casting. Owing to this engagement of the bar and said slotted opening, it is obvious that the door will be held against being swung to the closed position until the latch-bar is disengaged from the catch-casting by a temporary downward movement of its rear end portion.

From the construction and operation which we have described it will be seen that simple, reliable, and eifective means are provided whereby the door of a fire-box may be so- IOC curely held against voluntary closing. It will also be seen that the construction of our improved catch is simple and inexpensive and that the parts are so arranged and constructed as to obviate any tendency of their easily getting out of order. 1 In case it is desired to employ our invention in connection with the ordinary or previously-formed fire-doors it will be seen that the keeper 9 and catch-casting 3 may be produced as separate parts, these parts being shown disconnected from the door or frame in Figs. 4,5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the drawings. In case these parts are used on old doors it is obvious that through the medium of boltholes 3 through the sides of the casting 3 said casting may be secured to the usual door-frame hinge-lugs 2, while the keeper 9 may likewise be bolted to the door 6, thus admitting of our improvements being connected with boiler fire-doors now in use.

Having now fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a lock-hinge for fire-doors, the combination with a fire-door frame 1, a door 6 hinged in connection therewith at one end, a

keeper 9 projecting from said door, a catch projection 12 at the forward end of the doorframe, a latch-bar pivotally connected with the door having its portion in front of said pivot of greater weight than the portion in rear thereof and having its rear portion extending loosely through the keeper 9, of a substantially yoke-shaped catch connected with the rear portion of the door-frame, a vertical slotted recess 4 in the front face thereof and a laterally-extending mouth or recess 5 having an upwardly-inclined edge with which the upper side of the rear portion of the latch-bar is adapted to contact, substantially as specified.

2. In a lock-hinge for fire-doors, the combination with a door-frame, a door hinged in connection with said door-frame and a latchbar pivotally connected with said door and extending across the same, of an integrallyformed yoke-like catch-body. connected with the door-frame, said catch body having formed therein a vertical recess 4 and a lateral recess leading therefrom at a point below the upper end of the vertical recess, the upper side of the lateralrecess adapted to be normally in contact with the upper side of the latch-bar and means for retaining the rear end of said door latch-bar normally elevated, substantially as specified.

HERMANN RITTER. JESSE H. ROWLAND. In presence of (J. O. SHEPHERD, W. L. MoRRoW. 

